In nine days we were landed at Pernambuco and from there we came to Philadelphia on steamer Pydna, Captain Crossley.
We found friends everywhere we went; even in Philadelphia I had telegrams asking me to telegraph them if I needed any assistance. We arrived at New Bedford in due time and even Mr. Wing, (the agent of the Bark Kathleen), met me smilingly and seemed glad to see me. Everything seemed to work our way after the accident. When we were leaving the Borderer Capt. Dalton gave me thirty dollars in American bills, all he had with him.
He told me to take it and if I felt able when I got home to send the amount to his wife in England. It seems that Capt. Dalton had been running down this way for some years and having met head currents decided this trip to make a passage three or four degrees to the eastward to see if he couldn't get out of it.
Owing to this fact we were picked up as we were.
As we had not seen a sail of any description for some time we might have been days in our boat before seeing any vessel.
The other boat containing one of the mates and 9 seamen landed safely at the Barbados after being in the boat 9 days with but 5 gallons of water and a little ship bread.
TWO FAMOUS OLD WHALERS, BARKS ROUSSEAU AND DESDEMONA
Loss of the Ships Ann Alexander and Essex.
Cases of whales rushing head on are very rare. One instance which will be remembered by some of the older residents of the city was in 1851, when the ship Ann Alexander was sunk in the Pacific ocean by a maddened whale.